De Niro portrays Pat Solitano, Sr., an obsessive-compulsive, die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, who struggles to deal with his even more obsessive and mentally-unstable son. His performance has earned him his seventh Oscar nomination and his first in 21 years.

DeNiro's career took off with his portrayal of Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. His critically acclaimed, longtime collaborations with director Martin Scorsese began with 1973's Mean Streets, and earned De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta in the 1980 film Raging Bull.

He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his roles in Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and Cape Fear (1991). In addition, he received nominations for his acting in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978) and Penny Marshall's Awakenings (1990). In 1990, his portrayal as Jimmy Conway in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas earned him a BAFTA nomination.

De Niro has earned four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, for his work in New York, New York (1977), Midnight Run (1988), Analyze This (1999), and Meet the Parents (2000). He has also directed films such as A Bronx Tale (1993) and The Good Shepherd (2006). De Niro has received accolades for his career, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award.